The reliability of a refrigerant system is related to the skill of the installer or the technician that services the unit. The industry, however, is faced with a decline in the number of skilled people who can effectively work on these machines. Among the tasks requiring the most skill to complete is the brazing of the many refrigerant line connections and, in particular, the task of brazing a line to a system component. Any leaks that might develop in these types of connections will result in leakage of refrigerant and reduce the amount of refrigerant charge resulting in a loss of system efficiency. The loss of charge, if not corrected, can also eventually lead to system failure.
A number of braze-free connectors have been developed for use with refrigerants. These devices were generally referenced as quick-connectors because of the limited amount of time needed to complete a connection. These devices are generally designed to be assembled and disassembled and are commonly used in several applications including in refrigeration systems. However, they are generally disfavored due to their tendency to leak and related reliability problems.